From Ruin They Rise
by Everlude
Summary: Claire set out on a desperate gambit to change the farm. She wasn't expecting it, and the town, and him, to change her too. [a coming of age/learning to be an adult story] MFOMT
1. 1) The Old Farmhouse

Posted 7/30/17

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 **From Ruin They Rise**

Chapter One: The Old Farmhouse

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Setting down her bags, Claire could only stare in disbelief. A sea of weeds, like an untangled jungle filled her view, broken only by the occasional boulder or branch. Where were the well kept fields, green pastures, and cows? Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere?

"Hello there!" Blinking, Claire looked around for a moment, confused, before spotting a man in a red coat and top hat walking her way from the direction of the town. "My name is Mayor Thomas," he said, puffing as he walked up to her, Claire could easily see the man wasn't in great shape. "Who might you be?"

"I'm Claire. It's nice to meet you." Tucking a stray strand of her long blond hair behind her ear, Claire extended her hand in greeting. When Thomas clasped her hand, it was like holding a dead fish, limp and easy to drop.

"Oh, that's a lovely name, Claire. Are you a visitor to our town?" Straightening out his jacket, Mayor Thomas stood to his full height, but Claire still found she looked down at him a little. He was quite the short and plump man. "No, actually, I'm the new owner of a farm around here."

"Ohhoho! You mean you actually bought this place?" Chuckling, Thomas turned to face the farm, his head shaking side to side. "You must have been fooled by that ad the real estate company put out. You're not the first, they do make it look so lovely in that picture." Keenly aware of the ad sitting in her pocket, Claire folded her arms across her chest to hide the clenching of her fists. She hadn't taken a wrong turn then.

"This place is nothing but a dump now. I recommend you go back to where you came from, Claire. It would be nearly impossible to make a go of it with this place now." Raising a hand to rub a tear of mirth from his eye, Thomas turned back to Claire.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Claire ground out, hating how foolish she felt. "I've already committed myself, so I'll be here to stay."

"Ah, to be young and make mistakes." Adjusting his glasses, Thomas shook his head. "Well, if you're that determined I won't stop you, but at least I did warn you. Should you need help, you can ask around the town, but it's up to you to run this farm.

"I'd better go let Zack know that he needs to start stopping by to check your shipping bins. Goodbye, Claire." When Thomas had waddled out of hearing range, Claire let her arms relax a bit. "I'll show you a mistake." Turning back to her fields, Claire let out a long sigh. "Once I figure out what to do with this mess that is. Stupid ad."

Pulling the well worn ad creased with fold lines from her pocket, Claire looked down at the picture of green pastures and fields full of crops and then back up to the sight in front of her. The two didn't match at all. Barren fields full of weeds, stumps, and stone lay before her.

"Well, it's not what I was expecting, but this is the right place, unfortunately." Hefting her bags over her shoulders, Claire refolded and returned the worn paper to her pocket. "Might as well see just what it is I have to work with."

Walking over to the old farmhouse, Claire put her hand on the doorknob, and after a moment's resistance and a heave of her shoulder, the door opened inwards. "I'll have to see if I can fix that," she murmured quietly to herself, taking in the space before her. Straight across from her sat a bed that looked like it had probably seen better days, and an ancient TV that she doubted would still work.

The corner next to her contained a large chest, with the far corner hosting an old wood burning stove. The only other object in the room was an old dust covered table right in the middle of the floor with two chairs. Exploring the door to her far left revealed a small bathroom she barely had room to turn around in that looked like an ad-on to the original house. It was in desperate need of a good cleaning, but Claire was happy for the plumbing.

Eyeing the stove from across the room as she set her bags down on the dusty table, Claire wondered if it would even be safe to use in a house made of wood. She'd never cooked over a live flame before. Perhaps there was somewhere in town she could eat? After a moment, she threw the idea away. Her funds were extremely limited now, so she couldn't afford to spend money eating out. If nothing else, she could survive off of food that didn't require cooking for a while.

Leaving her bags in the house, Claire ventured around the rest of the property. The other structures were like the farmhouse, old and dated, but sturdy. A little bit of love and they would function just fine. The field was another story. Standing back by her new house, Claire stared out over the fields. As far as she had walked they were overrun. "This is going to take some work," she said with a sigh, resting her hands on her hips.

Worrying the inside of her lip, Claire slowly looked around for a few minutes, her mind whirling as she tried to decided what to do. "Who am I kidding?" she finally groaned. "There's no way this is all getting done in a day, and I have no idea how to run a farm." Turning around, she stared at the farmhouse, mentally preparing herself for the task ahead. Claire may not know how to farm, but cleaning was something she was quite good at.

"What have I gotten myself into?" Shoving the front door open again, Claire retrieved her wallet from her bags. The little money she had left to her name too precious to be left alone.

"I don't suppose there's any cleaning supplies still hidden away around here." Looking around a bit more thoroughly, Claire found her suspicions to be correct. Outside of dust, cobwebs, and what she was sincerely hoping weren't mouse droppings, the house was empty of anything besides the sparse furniture and some old tools she found in the chest.

Retracing her steps back towards the town she'd walked through after getting off the ship from the city, Claire hoped her new neighbors were the friendly type. Taking the first right when she reached the town, Claire went past the building with an anvil shaped sign outside. She doubted a blacksmith would have what she needed, and the clanging she could hear was a little intimidating.

It didn't help that her imagination supplied a gruff looking, mean man beating away at the hot metal. Shaking her head, Claire wouldn't admit that she walked just a smidge faster to get past the shop and continue on down the path.

The next nearest property to her own appeared to be another farm of sorts. She could see, smell and hear, a lot of chickens running around. Knocking on the door, Claire toed the ground with her boot and looked around.

After several moments, in which Claire debated about just leaving, the door opened to reveal a middle aged woman with dull pink hair. "I knew it had to be a stranger. Everyone else just walks right on in. How can I help you, Dear? My name is Lillia."

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Lillia." Clasping her hands in front of her briefly, Claire gave the woman a nod of her head. "My name is Claire, and I'm your new neighbor. I purchased the old farm down the road."

"Oh, that's wonderful! No one has lived there since the old man passed away two decades ago." Claire blinked. That explained a lot about the state of the farm. "If you need anything, just let me know. I don't have the best of health, so I can't do much, but I can send my two children, Rick and Popuri, over to help."

Looking Lillia over discreetly, Claire could note the lines in her face, and the paleness of her skin. It matched her own, for now, but Claire doubted her skin would stay so fair once she started working in her fields. Lillia obviously didn't see the sun much. It made her curious, but Claire was too polite to pry into a sensitive issue like personal health with someone she'd just met.

"Thank you, Ms. Lillia," Clasping her hands together a bit tighter to hide her growing nerves, Claire smiled. "I actually came over to see if I could borrow a bucket, some soap, a few old rags, and possibly a broom. The farmhouse needs some cleaning up done to it before I can live there."

"Of course you can!" Opening the door wider, Lillia stepped aside. "Come on in while I get them for you." Walking inside, Claire found the building looked more like a store than a home. Bags labeled chicken feed lined the walls, and posters about chickens, hens, and roosters filled the open spaces. "Rick and Popuri are out right now, but if they get back before it's too late, I'll send them over to help you."

"Thank you, Ma'am, but this is already more than enough." Watching Lillia gather the items she'd requested, Claire waited until her back was turned to quickly rub her hands on her overalls to try and get rid of their growing clamminess before settling with one arm holding the other at the elbow. "Oh, don't you be silly now," Lillia said as she bent down to look for something under the counter.

"It's the least we can do as your new neighbors. Now, where did I see...oh, here it is." Having found what she was looking for, Lillia straightened up, a smile on her face. "Once you reach the point of being ready to start keeping a chicken coop, let us know. My family is the poultry dealer for several towns around the area."

"I'll keep that in mind Ms. Lillia." Feeling uncomfortable as more time passed, Claire looked around the store again, her toes wiggling inside her shoes. She just wanted to leave and go back to the farm.

"Alrighty, Claire, I think this should do the trick for that old farmhouse," Lillia said, as she put everything she'd found on the counter.

"Thank you again for letting me borrow these, Ms. Lillia," Claire said as she accepted the items.

"You're welcome, Claire, and just Lillia is fine. You can keep the bucket, soap, and the rags, we have plenty, but I'll be needing the broom back. Once you've settled in some more, you can get get one of your own from the supermarket a few blocks over. I'll send one of my children -oh, Rick, what perfect timing!"

Turning, Claire saw a young man in the doorway. His strawberry blond hair was held back by a headband, and he stared at her through large, wire framed glasses. "Hello," Claire said quietly with a nod of her head.

"Rick, this is Claire." Coming up behind Claire, Lillia rested a hand on her shoulder. "This is my son, Rick." Looking to her son, Lillia smiled. "Claire has just moved into the old farm. She just came over to borrow some cleaning supplies. Could you go with her and help her get settled in?"

"What about the shop and the chickens?" Rick asked, setting a shopping bag down on the counter that Claire hadn't noticed at first.

"I can manage, and Popuri should be home soon too." Claire felt Lillia give her a slight push towards the door, and she took that as her cue.

"But, are you sure?"

"Rick, I'll be fine. Now, go, and don't come back until she's all settled in. No buts. Claire is going to leave you behind at this rate." From where she was almost out the door of the shop, Claire wished Lillia wouldn't be fine so that Rick couldn't come.

"Bye, Ms. Lillia," Claire called over her shoulder as she started the walk back to her farm. The work wasn't going to do itself. With a quick call of "Wait up!" and the sound of running feet, Rick caught up to her.

"Can I help carry something?" he asked, reaching for the bucket. Claire shook her head, keeping a firm hold of the bucket handle. "I'm alright, it's not like it's heavy." Rick let his arm drop awkwardly to his side. "I see."

The next few minutes passed in silence that bordered on being awkward. Claire withheld a sigh. This is why she didn't want Rick to come with her. As they neared the blacksmiths, Claire could hear the sound of voices. It sounded like they were shouting, they'd have to be for her to hear them from outside, but she couldn't make out the words.

"Looks like Gray is arguing with Saibara again," Rick commented as they walked passed, shaking his head. Claire made a noncommittal sound in her throat, but Rick seemed to take it as a sign to keep talking. "You'll meet them both eventually. The town isn't that big after all. Gray's like you, he's from the city. He moved out here a few years ago to apprentice under his grandpa, and they've been arguing ever since."

Claire gave the shop a backwards glance, her curiosity peaked a bit at the idea of someone else from the city living here. She definitely didn't want to meet him while he was arguing, but maybe they could get along since they were both from the city.

"Popuri, my younger sister, was interested in Gray when he first moved in." Rick let out a long sigh, and Claire turned her attention back to him, trying to be polite. "I wish she still was. He argues with Saibara a lot, but he's overall a good guy, unlike Kai."

"Who's Kai?" Claire asked, feeling obligated to keep the conversation going. It wouldn't hurt to learn a bit more about the people she'd be neighbors with either, to avoid any unnecessary drama or trouble. She didn't miss the clenching of Rick's fists, or the stern set his face took on. It reminded her of her mother when she was about to give her a lecture when she was upset about something.

"Kai is a playboy from the city. He only shows up around here during the summer, but he spends that time flirting with all the girls. We never have gotten along very well, but after he broke Karen's heart a few summers back, I've never been able to forgive him."

"I'm sorry," Claire said quietly after a minute of letting Rick fume. She didn't really mean it, she didn't know enough about the situation or Rick, but it was easy to tell that it was something that bothered him immensely. She didn't want to spend the rest of the walk home hearing about it though.

"Thanks." Letting his fists relax and his shoulders slump, Rick gave Claire a small smile. "Karen has been my best friend since we were little kids, so I can't stand it when she's sad or hurt. I should introduce you to her. Her family runs the supermarket, so you'll be seeing her a lot when you reach the point that you're ready to start growing crops."

Claire gave a nod of her head. It would be nice to have a friend. "What's she like?"

"Oh, she's great! She's really outgoing, and she loves to dance and drink." Rick laughed, flashing Claire a quick grin. "She likes to drink a little too much. Doug at the bar had to set a permanent limit on how many drinks she can order in a single night. The only time he lets her go over that is on holidays."

"Oh…" Claire could feel her lips tugging down into a slight frown. She wasn't a fan of drinking or alcohol. It didn't sound like she and Karen would get along very well after all.

"But, that's just one part of her, and it's only when she goes to the bar." Claire's expression must have been more pronounced than she'd thought as Rick scrambled to backtrack. "She loves going to the hot springs out past your farm, and she-"

"Hot springs?" Claire interrupted, wanting to change the subject.

Rick brightened up and gave a vigorous nod of his head. "Oh yeah! They're south of your farm off the smaller trail that cuts from the main path. It's the way to the Goddess Spring and the mine too.

"When you get the chance, you should go check it out. The Goddess Spring is a special place to lots of people in the town, and there's no better place to relax and regain your energy than the hot springs!"

Claire gave a quiet hum, putting aside a mental note, and setting down the items she was carrying as they reached the house. Now that she had the supplies, the question became where to start? The dust and cobwebs would need taken care of first, so she grabbed the broom.

"Um, I can fill up the bucket with soap and water if you like." Claire blinked at the hand reaching for the bucket. She hadn't expected Rick to help.

"Oh, um, sure. If you need to get back though…" Trailing off, Claire looked in the direction of the poultry farm. Rick chuckled and shook his head, "Don't worry about it. Mom would be upset if I came home so soon when she sent me off to help you in the first place. Besides, from the looks of it, you'll need the help if you want any chance of sleeping in there tonight."

Clutching the broom a bit tighter, Claire looked at the house. Rick was probably right. She'd never slept outside before, and it would be a waste of money to have to pay to stay somewhere. Giving a brief nod, Claire muttered a quiet, "Thanks," and turned away.

Shoving the door open again, Claire covered her mouth and nose with the crook of her elbow, and, lifting up the broom, started sweeping away at the dozens upon dozens of cobwebs on the ceiling. Dust and dead spiders rained down on her, and Claire had to repress several shudders as her brain imagined the spiders as not so dead. She wasn't sure what to do when the ceiling slanted up, following the roofline as it went up.

"Whew, that sure makes it dusty in here." Giving a small jerk as Rick's voice startled her, Claire froze as an arm appeared in her peripheral view, grabbing onto the broom. "I'm a few inches taller than you, and my arms are pretty long, let me see if I can reach the top of the ceiling for you. If you grab that chair for me, I'm sure I can get most of it." Letting go of the broom, Claire nodded, and went to grab one of the two chairs sitting by the old table.

Standing back, she watched as Rick easily swept away the cobwebs in reach before moving the chair over to get at the next portion of the ceiling. None of her neighbors had been this friendly or helpful when she moved into her apartment in the city. "Just about done here," Rick said as he moved the chair again. "Once this is done, how about we move the furniture outside? One of us could work on scrubbing it down and beating out the mattress while the other sweeps up in here."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Claire replied, grabbing the remaining chair and walking towards the door. She was supposed to be the one cleaning. It was her house after all. She couldn't just let Rick do everything. Going back inside, Claire started removing what she could by herself, including her bags. A few minutes later, Rick joined her and the two got all of the big furniture out of the house until nothing was left but the stove.

Taking a minute to catch her breath, the bed and mattress had been heavy, Claire looked at the Rick. He was examining the furniture, and already starting to swipe away at some of the dust. He didn't looked tired at all, Claire realized belatedly. She'd need to get a lot stronger, and in a lot better shape if she was going to run the farm.

"I'll go sweep everything out," she volunteered, grabbing the broom from where they had left it leaning against the house. It wasn't fair to make Rick deal with all the dust and sneezing it entailed.

"Okay, when you're done, I can use the broom to beat out the mattress." Smiling, Rick grabbed a rag and threw it into the bucket of soapy water he'd prepared earlier. "In the meantime, I'll start wiping things down."

Nodding, Claire went to work sweeping, starting with the bathroom and far corners of the main room. Swirls of dirt and dust flew into the air. Closing her eyes, and tucking her nose to her elbow, Claire sneezed several times before resuming sweeping. A muffled shout of "Bless you!" came from outside, so she called back her own "Thanks!" in response.

As she worked her way across the floor, the pile of dirt grew larger and larger. Deciding the pile was starting to get too big, Claire started making several smaller piles and working them towards the front door. Once the last of the piles was swept out the door, Claire made a second pass to make sure she didn't miss anything. A small pile of dirt was her reward.

"How does a house build up so much dirt and dust when no one had even been in it for years?" she wondered aloud as she set the broom aside.

"I've been thinking the same thing," Rick laughed as he threw the rag he was holding back into the bucket. "There's not a lot of furniture to wipe down, but it all has more dust on it than I could have imagined."

"Thanks again for the help, Rick." Looking over the table and chairs he'd already wiped down, and thinking of everything she'd swept out from inside the house, she was glad for his help. This would have taken much longer to do alone. "I know it's not how you planned to spend your day," looking back at the young man, Claire gave a small smile, "but, I really appreciate it."

"Ah, yeah, don't mention it," Rick replied, his neck turning a soft shade of red. "I help around at home all day long, so it's no big deal."

"Still, thank you. No one in the city would have helped me like this." Grabbing the bucket and rag from Rick, Claire nodded towards the nearby well. "You got the water from there, right? I'll go refill the bucket if you want to start beating out the mattress." Not waiting for a response, Claire walked away from where they were working and dumped the dirty water out. Once the bucket was empty, she refilled it from the well, adding some soap that Rick had left sitting there.

Walking back, she went slowly, trying not to slosh the water over the sides. Rick was busy beating away at the mattress, large plumes of dust coming from it when she got back. Setting the bucket down, Claire got to work on wiping down the bed frame.

"So," Rick started, between swings at the mattress, "what's the city you're from like?"

Dipping the rag back into the bucket and wringing it out. Claire wiped away at the headboard for a moment before responding. "I guess, it's just like any city really. Lots of people, lots of buildings."

"What did you do there?"

"I did some schooling, and worked. Nothing too exciting really." It was quiet for a few minutes after that, outside of the dull thuds of the broom against the mattress and the occasional sound of dripping water when Claire rewetted her rag.

When the sounds of the thuds stopped, it took Claire a minute to realize it, her mind preoccupied by thoughts Rick's questions had stirred up. Rick was busy wiping his forehead off with his sleeve when she looked up. As Claire watched, he lowered his arm and glanced up at the sky with a slight frown.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting pretty hungry. Want to head into town to get something to eat, or go back to my family's farm? Mom is a great cook."

Thinking of the limited funds she had, and not wanting to be a bigger burden than she already was, Claire shook her head even though her stomach disagreed. "I'm alright. Besides, I don't feel comfortable leaving all my furniture outside unattended," she said, looking around at the few belongings she could lay claim to. "I don't mind if you take a break though. You've helped me out a lot. I can probably get it from here other than moving stuff back into the house. Go get something to eat, and I'll work on wiping down everything inside."

"Alright, if you're sure," Rick hesitated before a grumble from his stomach made itself known. Chuckling a bit, Rick looked towards town and then back at Claire. "I'll be back in a bit then. If she's home, I'll see if Popuri will come with me so you can meet her."

Giving Rick a wave as he walked away, Claire was grateful that her stomach waited until he was almost out of sight to let out a growl of its own.

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 **I never have cared for the bad rep Rick gets. I grew up playing HM64 where he was a pretty cool dude. Hopefully, I was able to paint him in a bit better light with this first chapter. Also, because I grew up with HM64, I just had to slip in the original pairings I grew up with. I was so confused the first time I played MFOMT and Gray and Popuri didn't get together and neither did Karen and Kai (or the other couples I knew for that matter, besides Cliff and Ann). So confused people. Not to mention all the families and jobs were all messed up.**

 **Anyways, I've got great plans for this story, so I'm really excited.**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Catch ya next chapter!**


	2. 2) A Gabby Girl

Posted 8/15/17

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 **From Ruin They Rise**

Chapter Two: A Gabby Girl

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"Oh, wow. Your hair is so pretty, can I touch it?" Claire blinked at the girl in front of her. If she had to guess what Lillia looked like when she was younger, she was pretty sure it would be exactly like the girl in front of her. She was so startled by her sudden appearance, she couldn't even find a response to stop the girl from reaching out and taking a few strands of her hair in hand. "It's so soft! Karen would be jealous," the girl giggled, letting go. "I'm Popuri by the way, I already know you're Claire. Rick told me about you on the way over."

Claire glanced over Popuri's shoulder at Rick who was standing in the doorway with a hand over his face. "Popuri...we talked about this."

"Oh shush, Rick. You're just being boring. Claire doesn't mind, right Claire?"

"Um, mind what?" Claire looked between the two siblings. She had no idea what was going on, and had no desire to get in the middle of an argument between the two.

"See!" Smiling widely, Popuri swished passed Claire with her skirts to inspect the inside of the farmhouse. "I always wondered what it was like in here. So boring!"

"Popuri!" Rick scolded, coming to stand next to Claire. "Forgive my sister, she doesn't always think before she opens her mouth, and once she gets started, it can be hard to get her to stop sometimes."

"No, um, it's alright," Claire murmured back as she watched the girl whisk around her house. It was like watching a pink whirlwind go by. Just watching the girl made Claire feel tired.

"Ew, these drapes as so old and moldy. They need to go, and don't even get me started on this bathroom!" Popuri declared slamming the door to it shut almost immediately after she opened it. "It's beyond disgusting! Not to mention the smell!"

Claire folded her arms over her chest. She knew the house wasn't in the best condition, but she'd worked hard on it with Rick this morning, and they'd made a lot of improvements. Honestly, she'd only gotten off the ship earlier today, couldn't the girl give her a break? Claire could feel the heat creeping up her neck.

Flouncing back over to the pair, Popuri grabbed Claire by the hand. "Come on, Claire. Mom sent food over. I left it on the table outside." Taken aback by the abrupt change of pace, Claire allowed herself to be dragged towards the door.

"Popuri-"

"I'm gonna make sure that Claire eats, like Mom said. You can deal with the bathroom, Rick, and throw away the drapes while you're at it." Claire wasn't sure what to think when Popuri turned and winked at her. "I have some old cute drapes that you can have. Much better than those horrible things."

"Um, thanks, but-"

"Here," Popuri shoved Claire down into one of the chairs outside, "have a seat." Opening up a basket sitting on the table, Popuri pulled out a sandwich and handed it to Claire. "Eat up! It's really good!" Staring down at the sandwich that had almost magically appeared in her hands because Popuri moved so fast, Claire slowly undid the plastic wrapping and took a bite.

"Teehee, I was right, wasn't I? It's good!" Taking the other chair, Popuri sat down and leaned forward on the table, her hands supporting her head as she stared at Claire. "Mom figured you'd be hungry. Rick ate like a pig when he got home!" Popuri pulled a face, her nose scrunching up. Not sure how to handle the other girl and her energy, Claire focused on her sandwich and took another bite. Maybe if she kept her mouth full, the girl wouldn't expect her to talk very much.

She had no such luck. Popuri didn't seem to know what being quiet meant, and the girl was full of questions.

"You have to tell me all about yourself!" Popuri exclaimed as Claire took another bite. "Like, how old are you? What did you do for fun in the city? What were the boys like? Oh, I bet there were a lot of hot guys cause Gray and Kai are from the city, and they're both really hot. Did you have a boyfriend? You're so pretty, you must have had one! What was he like?"

Chewing as slowly as she could, Claire closed her eyes. This was not something she wanted to deal with right now or anytime in the near or foreseeable future for that matter. Swallowing, she let out a sigh, and opened her eyes to meet Popuri's overly curious gaze. If she didn't nip this in the bud, things would probably get out of hand.

"I'm twenty-three. I'm rather boring, so I didn't do anything that could really be considered fun. Thank you for the compliment, but I am rather average. What about you? Are you dating either of the guys you mentioned?"

The pout on Popuri's face let Claire know that she had disappointed her with the answers she gave; which was her goal, so she felt satisfied as she took another bite of the sandwich. It was better to turn the topic back on her even if Claire wasn't interested.

"Mo, you're so boring, Claire!" Popuri tossed her hair back behind her shoulder. "I thought a city girl would be more exciting than this. If it weren't for your accent, I'd think you were some country girl."

Claire blinked. Accent? Thinking about it, she supposed she did sound a bit different than the few people she'd talked to since arriving. She watched as Popuri threw a glance towards the farmhouse before leaning in with her hand covering her mouth.

"As for Gray and Kai, I'd love to date either of them, but don't tell Rick that. It's fun to watch him get riled up in the summer when Kai comes. Besides, while Gray is great eye candy, he's been here long enough that I think he only sees me as the immature little girl I was. Kai only sees me for a season out of the year, and I'm pretty sure that towards the end of last summer he started noticing the woman I've become."

Finishing off her sandwich as Popuri babbled at her, Claire couldn't help thinking that the girl still seemed immature, and a little manipulating if she had to be honest.

"How old are you?" Claire asked as Popuri stopped for a breath. She'd almost begun to think the girl could talk nonstop without breathing.

"Nineteen," Popuri preened. Rolling up the wrapper to her sandwich in a ball, Claire put it back in the basket. Nineteen, that explained a lot. From her point of view, Popuri still had a lot of growing up to do, but who was she to talk? Lots of people could probably say the same thing about her.

"That's nice. I'm going to go help Rick." While her body was glad for the break, and the food, she felt terrible having Rick clean what was probably the worst part of the house by himself.

"Seriously? I went through the effort of getting him to clean that disgusting room for you, and you're just going to go and ruin it like that? Stay out here, we can talk more. You never even answered my questions about the city boys!" Shaking her head, Claire got to her feet and started towards the house.

"I may not have even lived here for a full day yet, but this is my house, Popuri. It doesn't feel right to let someone else do all the work." As she reached the door of the house, she almost ran into Rick who was coming out. "Oh, sorry. I was just coming to help."

"Thanks," Rick replied with a smile. "Before we can get any more cleaning done though, we are going to need a lot of bleach. Could you go get some and bring it back, Popuri?" Rick called over Claire's shoulder at his sister.

"Fine," Popuri pouted. "I'll bring back those curtains too."

"Thanks, Sis!" Rick called after Popuri as she picked up the lunch basket and flounced back towards town. "Sorry about that," he apologized, turning back to Claire. "I could hear her questioning you from inside -she can be pretty loud sometimes. I hope she didn't bother you too much."

Claire shook her head. "I'm fine. Your sister just has more energy than I know what to do with." Walking past Rick into the house, Claire looked around and nodded her head. Other than finishing the bathroom, everything was clean. "Could you help me move the furniture back in while we wait for her?"

"Ah, sure."

Once they had managed to get everything back inside, Claire opened one of her bags that contained the few household items she'd brought with her, and pulled out a set of sheets and a blanket for the bed. After the bed was made, she pulled out her pillow and laid it on top. Her hand paused as she reached back into her bag, fingers brushing against soft plush. No, she'd wait to get her teddy bear out until she was alone.

Zipping her bags back up, Claire placed them at the foot of her bed. It wasn't much, but this was home now.

"I'm back!" Popuri sang from the doorway. In her arms was a container of bleach, and a set of bright yellow curtains with something on them. It was only after Popuri set the items down on the table that Claire realized the design was chickens of different colors. "I hope you like chickens!" Popuri smiled as she got to work taking down the old curtains. "I recently got new curtains with some elegant flowers on them, so you can have these childish ones until you can get something better."

Claire didn't mind the chickens. The curtains were better than what she had, and they really helped to brighten the place up a bit. Grabbing the container of bleach off the table, she took it to the bathroom where Rick had returned to scrubbing away.

"The bleach is here," Claire said, opening up the container and pouring a good amount in the toilet to let it sit for a few minutes.

"Perfect. If you work on that, I'll work on scrubbing down the shower," Rick replied, stepping into the shower so the small room could fit both of them.

It didn't take long for the strong smell of bleach to start burning Claire's nose and eyes in the tiny space. Forcing open the small window near the top of the wall did little to help. Eventually, she and Rick both had to abandon the room and go outside to breath some fresh air. Popuri had left complaining that she was bored and that the bleach was bothering her too.

"Ugh." Pulling off his glasses for a moment, Rick rubbed the sweat from his face onto his sleeve. "I've got a headache from that."

"Me too," Claire groaned, walking over to the well to splash some fresh water on her face. They'd been working all day, she was tired, and the added headache was making her grumpy.

"At least we got pretty much everything done though." Sitting down against the side of the house, Rick leaned against it with a heavy sigh.

"Yeah," Claire agreed finding her way over to slump down a few feet away from Rick on the grass. "Thanks again for all the help today. There's no way I could have gotten this all done by myself. You really saved me today." Smiling, Claire laid down on the grass, enjoying the cool late afternoon breeze.

"D-don't mention it." Glancing over at Rick, Claire frowned at the flush on his face.

"Are you okay? Your face is looking really red. Go splash some water on it. I don't want you to collapse from overheating because you were helping me."

"Right." Getting slowly to his feet, Rick walked a few wobbly steps before stopping and bending over, a low groan escaping his lips. "I think that bleach got to me more than I thought." Claire started to get up to help, but stopped when Rick waved her off and finished the small trek over to the well.

By the time Rick returned, Claire was beginning to doze off, the events of the day, and her journey here, were all starting to weigh on her.

"Hey now, no sleeping out here after all the work we went to cleaning up the house," Rick joked, leaning down and holding an arm out to help Claire up. His face was back to its normal color. Accepting his help up, Claire withheld a groan as her head throbbed. Hopefully, her headache would go away soon.

Helping Rick gather things up to take back home, Claire flushed when her stomach let out a growl. The sandwich Popuri made her eat had been a long time ago.

"You know, I know you aren't set up to cook yet, so why don't you come back to town with me? Doug's Inn has some pretty good food, and I can show you where the supermarket is so you can go pick up what you need tomorrow."

Claire was about to turn Rick's offer down when her stomach growled again. Her mind wandered to her limited funds, but inwardly, she knew that she needed a good meal. It would probably help with her headache, and it would just be this once. The rest of her money would be for the farm.

Nodding, Claire followed Rick back to town, making sure to leave her windows open to help air out the bleach scent while she was gone.

They stopped by Rick's house for a minute to drop off the supplies, and Claire thanked Lillia again for letting her borrow them while Rick explained where they were going.

"Do we have any headache medicine left, Mom?" Rick asked before Claire could get back out the front door. "That bleach gave me a pretty bad one, I'm sure you probably have one too, right Claire?" Giving a nod, Claire happily accepted the two little capsules a minute later from Lillia along with a glass of water. This would help a lot.

"Don't stay out too late!" Lillia called after them as they left, making Rick flush and mumble under his breath. Claire was pretty sure he said something along the lines of "I'm not a kid anymore".

Headache dissipating as the medicine took effect, Claire found herself much more agreeable to Rick's tour of the small town. She had already seen some of it when she walked through after getting of the ship, but it was helpful to have Rick explain what each of the buildings were. They'd made a zig-zagging loop by the time they got to Doug's Inn, and Claire was more than ready to eat.

As she entered behind Rick, Claire could feel the eyes on her. Of course, in a town this small, they would immediately notice the stranger. Folding her arms and keeping her gaze down, in a vain attempt to hide from the prying eyes, Claire quickly followed Rick to the bar.

"Hey Rick, who's your friend?" Looking up, Claire locked eyes with a middle aged man. His hair was a bright rusty color with a matching mustache, and his dark eyes twinkled at her.

"This is Claire," Rick replied as he took a seat at the bar. "Claire, this is Doug, he owns the Inn, and his daughter Ann helps out."

"It's nice to meet you," Claire said in a soft and firm voice as she dipped her head.

"Claire is the new owner of the old farm. We've spent the day cleaning up the old farmhouse."

"Is that so?" Slipping into the stool next to Rick, Claire gave Doug a small smile. "In that case, welcome to the Mineral Town family, Claire. It may take a while to get used to things here, but I'm sure you'll fit in fine.

"What can I get you to eat? Just for tonight, it's on the house." Claire started to object, but Doug cut her off with a hand. "No buts, Claire. Think of it as my welcoming gift. I'd lost all hope of anyone ever taking over that farm. Although, you could also consider it a good luck gift," he laughed, "no doubt you'll need all the luck you can get with that old place."

Claire clenched her hands together underneath the bar. How many times would people say something like that? Was she going to be the embarrassment of the town because she owned the run down property? Would she ever be able to get the farm to a point that people praised it? Putting a smile on her face, Claire shoved her doubts aside momentarily, and thanked Doug for his offer.

"I'll have tonight's special then, and a glass of milk if that's alright," she said, glancing over Doug's shoulder at the menu. The night's special was a tossed green salad followed by a meat and potato dish with a side of biscuits and gravy.

"Coming right up, I'll have Ann bring it over when it's ready," Doug replied as he walked through the door that Claire assumed led to the kitchen.

Bringing her arms up so her elbows rested on the counter, Claire put her chin on her hands. All while she had been talking with Doug, she had felt the stares on her back. Some of them were still there. It had her wishing she could crawl to some table in a dark corner where no one would see or notice her.

She watched from the corner of her eye when Rick slid off his stool and headed down the bar towards a girl with long dirty blond hair in a white t-shirt and purple vest. Several empty mugs were in front of her on the counter. If Claire had to guess, the girl was probably Karen.

Shifting her head as Rick started to turn towards her, Claire allowed her hair to form a curtain so she wouldn't have to make eye contact, and could remain in her own world. The wall behind the bar was beginning to look very interesting. She could almost make out pictures using the cracks in the mortar between the bricks.

Taking in a deep breath, Claire closed her eyes, and held her breath before slowly letting it out. She repeated this several times before opening them to the sound of a cheery voice and a plate being placed before her.

"Heya! Here's your food for ya!" Claire blinked, then smiled gratefully at the girl in front of her. Ann definitely took after her father. They both had the same bright rust colored hair and facial features, but Ann's eyes were a pretty blue instead of the deep brown of Doug's. She must have gotten them from her mom.

"I'm Ann, and you're Claire, so now that introductions are out of the way, feel free to let me know if you need anything. I'd love to stay and chat for a bit, but we're a little busy right now. Don't be a stranger though!" Ann called as she walked down the bar, her long braid swinging behind her.

Shaking her head lightly, Claire unrolled her napkin and placed it in her lap before digging into her food. While the meal itself was simple, the taste was amazing. All too quickly, Claire found herself wiping the last vestiges of her meal from the plate with the final biscuit.

Pushing her plate away when she was done, Claire let out a content sigh. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the food was in front of her.

"Looks like you enjoyed your dinner. I haven't seen someone clean their plate that well in a long time," Ann laughed, coming down the bar to grab Claire's dishes and take them back to the kitchen.

Averting her eyes, Claire gave a nod. "Yeah, it was really good. Please tell Doug thanks for me."

"Sure thing! Dad loves to know when people compliment his cooking." Smiling a little at Ann's energy, Claire slid off the barstool. "Come back during the day sometime, we're less busy then." Giving a half-hearted nod, Claire glanced down the bar at Rick. It felt wrong to leave without letting him know since he brought her, but he looked pretty caught up in a conversation with Karen that she didn't want to interrupt.

"Don't worry about Rick, I'll let him know you went home." Startled, Claire turned to Ann who was grinning widely. "He tends to forget about stuff sometimes when he's around Karen. There's been bets going around town about how long it will take for them to get together, but don't tell them that." Winking conspiratorially, Ann waved Claire towards the door.

Feeling more relaxed now that she didn't have to approach the pair, Claire gave Ann a genuine smile and a quiet thanks before heading for the door. Her hand was almost on the doorknob when the door opened inwards of its own accord. Stepping back quickly to avoid getting hit, Claire frowned at the person coming in.

Tall and lean with long brown hair kept back in a ponytail, the stranger's clothes didn't look like anything she had ever seen before. They almost reminded her of the mountain men she'd learned about in school as a kid.

"Ah, I'm sorry," he mumbled quietly when his blue eyes locked on Claire's for a brief second, a flush coming over his features. Focusing her gaze on the area past his shoulder to allow him to recover from his embarrassment at nearly knocking her over, Claire shook her head.

"It's fine. I'm not hurt."

"Oh...that's good." Shifting to the side, the young man held the door open. Giving a soft thanks, Claire made her way out into the night, the door closing with a click behind her. Letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, Claire felt an invisible weight lift off her shoulders at finally having some alone time.

Walking down the cobbled and dirt paths towards the farm, Claire tilted her head back to look at the sky and froze. Like tiny jewels strewn across the sky, the stars twinkled down at her. They had never been this bright, nor had there been nearly this many in the city.

A yawn finally drew Claire from her reverie of the night sky. Glancing around nervously, she was glad no one had seen her. Continuing on her way, Claire was more than exhausted when she finally crawled into the old bed at the farmhouse.

Reaching into her bag, Claire pulled out her well-worn teddy bear and hugged him close as she snuggled in under the covers. Sleep was a long way off though as she tossed and turned in the strange bed. Every time she was almost asleep an unfamiliar sound would jolt her awake. Sighing, Claire tried to get as comfortable as she could. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **Claire is finally settled in at the old farmhouse thanks to Rick and Popuri. Well, let's be honest, Popuri didn't do much, but that's just how she is, for now at least. She always seemed a bit childish to me, and when she wasn't, she was usually bossing someone around or obsessing over flowers or chickens depending on the game. She has good intentions though.  
**

 **Until next time. :)**


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